The trek through the Region III-5A girls' basketball playoffs continues as the area round begins Thursday night. Cinco Ranch, Katy Taylor and Seven Lakes are hoping its playoff run doesn't end so soon.

The Cougars were as impressive as a playoff team could be in the bi-district round, thrashing Houston Lamar, 52-30. Now here's a real test: an Alief Elsik team that went to state last year.

It works both ways, though. Elsik breezed through its bi-district opponent and Cinco Ranch will be a tougher out. Cinco Ranch's Megan Palmer and Taylor Williams will be the center of attention in the paint, but Christy Williams and Shayne Ortiz are dangerous from the perimeter. When the latter two are shooting well, it's tough to top Cinco Ranch.

Elsik's Crystal Porter is a lot for opponents to handle and experience works in the Rams' favor, too. They don't have everyone from last year's team back, but this is still a team that knows how to win playoff games.

As impressive as Katy Taylor has been lately, there's no denying the Mustangs will be underdogs in this one.

No. 5 Cy Falls is as good as it gets in the Houston area and is in the conversation for best team in the state. The Golden Eagles went 13-0 in District 17-5A play, which capped off 34 consecutive wins against a district opponent.

Cy Falls' Loryn Goodwin and Sadalia Ellis are two of the best guards around and then there's Harvard-bound Kit Metoyer. Cy Falls has all the pieces for a state title run.

No need to tell Taylor coach Carlos Villafone that, though. He knows this team very well. After all, Cy Falls did knock Taylor out of the playoffs in the regional quarterfinals last year.

It's not impossible to think Taylor can win this game, however. Amira Jenkins and Logan Johnson have played well lately and this is a confident group. What's more, the odds were against Taylor to beat Cy Falls last year, too, and the Mustangs led for most of that game before a fourth-quarter collapse.

Seven Lakes didn't make the playoffs last year, but won 19-5A this year and looked pretty good in its bi-district playoff win over Houston Westbury.

Cy Ranch is in the playoffs for the first time in school history and looked pretty good in its first-round playoff win against Eisenhower.

But while Seven Lakes has a good mix of experience and talent, Cy Ranch could be one of the younger teams in the playoffs. The Mustangs have just one senior on the roster and are led by sophomores Sydney Coleman and Cienna Rodriguez.

Cy Ranch is running into a Seven Lakes team that believes it has something to prove and is playing like it, too. Seven Lakes' goal of finishing district play undefeated was stopped short.

This is one of the more interesting matchups of the night considering both teams' path to the playoffs.